Moral Story – You Egalitarian Fools, Hypocrisy Rules
Photo credit: pschubert from morguefile.com
It started off as any other movie watching session over a packet of chips and a bottle of lemon juice purchased from the nearby canteen. The timing was anything but appropriate since the placement season was upon them, job prospects were waiting for talented people like him, but time spent with his batch-mates doing absolutely anything was time well spent at his college (although adding IIT in this sentence would bring more attention, I will refrain from doing that) They were all set for a somewhat off-beat celluloid ride for “Network” was recommended by one of his seniors, a somewhat free-thinker who went on and on about how it will change your perspective about life. He had advocated viewing of this movie to countless others who had completely disregarded his claims and resorted to watching Tori Black in action instead, all the while mugging for group discussions and interview for their dream jobs with the top companies (please don’t be surprised, for it is possible to mug up for group discussions as well, just ask us)
The movie went on about the life of Howard Beale and how his career was on the decline until a time when he had the epiphany that changed the way he saw the world. Then came the interesting part. Beale on live television narrates a sermon given to him by God himself. The “I’m as mad as hell” speech touched him in a way that no amount of music, sports, or even recreational drugs could. The line “I’m a human being God Dammit, My life has value” resonated in his psyche like a church bell tolling like crazy. He really couldn’t figure out the purpose of his existence? Why he was taught Physics, Chemistry and Maths? Why are there so many atrocities going on in this world? Who took his HC Verma book away ? Questions after questions went on in his mind, along with the more important ones like “Why do you want to work for this company?” “Where do you see yourself five years down the line?” “What are you views on gender equality?” etc.
His friend, the neighborhood pacifier, came to him in his perplexed condition and had very few but powerful words to say “Snap out of it ! There is an offer out there with your name on it. If you don’t try hard enough, they’ll probably erase it and write Chintan’s name on it. Do you want that ?”
Needless to say, the protagonist loathed Chintan. The quintessential hypocrite, he always managed to en cash on opportunities using unethical yet effective means. A successful person by industrial standards, he had always been a bête noire to our hero. Even his parents knew about Chintan and were all too glad to start comparing his and our hero’s performance. Comparison was a practice which they had been following since our hero was in school. It was so much ingrained in his system that nothing apart from marks and pay packages made any sense to him.
The day had arrived when the dream company for his branch of science came and gave an enthralling presentation filled with details of what the company does, how much it would pay, additional benefits, working hours and so on. The candidates were almost drooling at the prospect of working for them, but not our hero. He was still looking for answers. It is said that if you look hard enough, you will find it. Probably he wasn’t trying hard or he was just in the company of naysayers. It was still unclear.
Thoughts again raced. So did time and so did the group discussions. Sitting in the conference hall, he witnessed a overwhelmingly confusing site, something on the lines of what he had heard the previous night – the world is a congregation of hypocrites, one greater than the other. He was bare witness to his voyeuristic and downright chauvinistic friends talking about gender equality. They spoke something and were surely thinking something else thanks to the female moderator. A look inside their minds could have easily landed them in jail he thought. His turn came and he was obviously petrified. The long hours of incessant bird watching might ruin his chances at coming up with something clever. But the powers that be were on his side and he managed to blurt out somethings which he had read in the paper that morning and lo and behold, he qualified the round – the interviews.
The interviewer kept posing hard questions regarding his specialization but he was smart enough to give prompt replies. It was when the interviewer asked him whether he had any questions that something bizarre happened
Hero – Why, and I’m referring to your presentation of course, are there no plants of yours in Africa ?
HR – Well, Africa isn’t a haven for the resources that we require to conduct our business
Hero – So you really don’t care about the world, do you ?
HR – It’s not as simple as that. You tell me, why should we invest in a continent where there are no resources and no returns ?
Hero – *silent for a good minute or so*
HR – Now I’m assuming that you have no other questions so please exit this room and send next guy *stares at the resume* Chintan in
He had figured it out completely now, at least that is what he thought. The genocide in Rwanda, the drought in Sudan, wars in Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Somalia were of no relevance to the so called International “Peace Mongers”. As long as those countries are devoid of essential resources to fund big companies, why should they take the pain to help them at all. It was the same sentiment that the HR had put forth.
The world was a cruel place and he was able to understand the real gist of this sentence. Unless it affects you, why give two hoots about it, even if you have the capability to do so. It was when he was immersed in such thoughts that the news filtered in. Only two people were selected – Chintan and our hero. Chintan was elated, he had landed his dream job and was on his way to unparalleled riches. But so was our hero, but he wasn’t too excited about the chance. He didn’t know whether to be happy for the conservative part of him that was fostered by his parents and society or be sad for the humanitarian side of him which was aching at the very mention of death destruction and mayhem.
He found the dilemma he was in to be extremely unfair, but then so was life. He thought hard and found a way to fulfill both obligations. He decided to join because a chance at challenging Chintan again was priceless. And as for his humanitarian obligations were concerned, he decided to postpone the date and declared that he would jump into it when the time is right. Sadly, as time went by, he became more and more intoxicated with power that money brings with it. Nothing mattered to him more than closing the next business deal or analysing markets for the next big investments or better still, getting the promotion that Chintan was denied.
We had lost a potential champion of human justice, who lacked proper guidance, brainwashed by society, lured away by money and forever in the abyss of ignorance. An infamous casanova of his circle, he still goes to colleges for recruitment, posing different questions in front of students about what they want to do in life, where do they see themselves five years down the line and what they thought of women empowerment and respect for womankind.
He made the illogical choice. I request you not to ! Think of Mahatma Gandhi’s talisman “Recall the face of the poorest man you have seen and ask yourself if this step you contemplate will help him or not” I request you to follow this practice and not blame me for when the time comes that I may not.
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